𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐱 | 18 +

𝐓 𝐇 𝐈 𝐑 𝐓 𝐘

Carter

I was in the middle of reviewing the script, my coffee still steaming on the counter, when my phone buzzed on the table. I glanced down at the screen, frowning at the unknown number flashing across it. My first instinct was to ignore it, to let it go to voicemail, but for some reason, I picked it up. Maybe I thought it was work-related or someone important.

"Hello?" I answered, my voice neutral but distracted, already expecting some telemarketer or spam call.

The moment I heard the voice on the other end, though, my entire body went rigid.

"Carter, long time no talk."

I knew that voice. I knew it too well. It was the voice that had haunted my nightmares, the one that had once held so much power over me. The voice that had sent my life spiraling into a dark, painful place years ago. The voice of the man who had traumatized me to my core. My grip on the phone tightened, my knuckles turning white as a wave of cold anger washed over me.

I had blocked him. Years ago. I had done everything I could to erase him from my life, from my mind. How the hell did he get my number again?

"I hear you're doing well." he continued, his tone slick with false charm. "I was thinking, maybe we could work together again. I have a new project—"

My blood boiled. The audacity of him. After everything he had put me through, after the accident that had almost ruined me, almost paralyzed me, he had the nerve to call me now, to ask me to work for him again. The stunt work I had done for him... it had nearly cost me everything. And for what? His damn film.

I clenched my jaw so hard I thought I might crack a tooth. "Go fuck yourself." I spat into the phone, my voice low and venomous. "I'm never working for you again. Don't ever call me again."

Before he could respond, I slammed my finger against the end call button, hanging up with a furious swipe. My heart was racing, my breathing coming out in sharp, jagged bursts. I blocked his number immediately, my hands trembling as I did so, but the damage was done. His voice, the memories, it all came rushing back like a flood I couldn't stop.

I could feel the familiar tightness in my chest, the way my lungs suddenly felt too small, like they couldn't get enough air. My vision blurred, my surroundings closing in on me as panic clawed at the edges of my mind. I knew what was coming. The panic attack was building, and I wasn't strong enough to fight it off this time. I could feel it taking over.

I needed help. I needed Juliet.

With shaking hands, I dialed her number. The phone rang once, then twice, and I held my breath, praying she'd pick up quickly.

"Hey, baby!" Juliet's cheerful voice came through the line, and for a second, the sound of her happiness broke through my fear. But I couldn't respond right away, my breath was too ragged, too shallow.

"Carter? What's wrong?" Her tone shifted immediately, the concern clear in her voice. "Talk to me."

"I... I need you." I managed to gasp out, my voice barely audible, trembling with panic. "I need you here. Please."

"I'm on my way." she said without hesitation. "Stay where you are, baby. I'm coming."

I hung up the phone, my body sliding down the wall until I was sitting on the cold floor, my back pressed against the hard surface. My knees were drawn up to my chest as I tried to focus on my breathing, but it felt impossible. Every breath was shallow, my heart pounding in my ears, and my hands were shaking uncontrollably. The walls seemed to be closing in around me, and my mind was racing, trapped in a loop of those old memories, the fear, the pain, the helplessness I'd felt all those years ago.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block it all out, but it was no use. I could still hear his voice, like he was standing right there beside me, taunting me, reminding me of everything I'd been through.

I don't know how long I sat there, my body trembling, the panic wrapping around me like a suffocating blanket. But then, through the fog, I heard the sound of the door opening. Soft footsteps. And then Juliet's voice.

"Carter?"

I couldn't look up. I couldn't move. All I could do was sit there, curled up on the floor, trying to hold myself together. But then, I felt her, felt her warmth as she knelt in front of me, her hands gently cupping my cheeks, forcing me to look at her.

"Baby, breathe." she said softly, her thumbs brushing away the tears I hadn't even realized were streaming down my face. "Just breathe with me, okay? I'm right here."

I tried to focus on her voice, on the way she was speaking to me so softly, so gently. I took a shaky breath in, then let it out, trying to match the rhythm of her own breathing. She was calm, steady, and slowly, slowly, I felt my own breath start to follow hers.

Juliet's hands never left my face, her touch grounding me, pulling me out of the darkness bit by bit. "You're okay." she whispered. "You're safe. I'm here."

Her presence, her warmth, it was like a lifeline, something to hold on to as I pulled myself out of the spiral. My breathing began to even out, my heart rate slowly returning to normal, and the walls stopped closing in.

I blinked, finally focusing on her face, on the worry in her eyes, and I managed to give her a small, shaky nod. "I'm... I'm okay." I whispered, though my voice still trembled.

Juliet didn't let go of me, didn't stop holding my face in her hands. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head slightly, my breath still shaky. "Not... not right now." I muttered. "In the morning. I'll tell you everything then."

She nodded, not pushing me for more. Instead, she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, her lips warm and comforting against my skin. "Okay, baby. Whenever you're ready."

I closed my eyes, leaning into her touch, feeling the weight of the panic slowly lifting, though the exhaustion that followed was overwhelming. I felt drained, like every bit of energy had been sucked out of me.

Juliet shifted, sitting beside me on the floor, pulling me into her arms. I didn't resist, just let her hold me, my head resting against her shoulder. She didn't say anything else, didn't push for answers or explanations. She just held me, and that was exactly what I needed.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, just the two of us sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped around me, her steady presence keeping me grounded. But eventually, the tension in my body eased, and I felt like I could breathe again, really breathe.

"I love you." I whispered, the words coming out quietly but with all the weight of everything I was feeling. I don't know why I said it in that moment, maybe because I needed her to know how much she meant to me, how much her being there, pulling me out of the darkness, meant.

Juliet tightened her hold on me, her lips brushing against my temple. "I love you too, Carter, so much."

And in that moment, sitting on the floor of our penthouse, wrapped up in her arms, I knew that no matter what the past had thrown at me, no matter what that man had done, I had Juliet. And that made all the difference in the world.

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~ R